Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a terminal member for electrical lines which is formed in a cross-sectionally U-shaped terminal region for the line with at least one pair of mutually opposing crimp legs.
Terminal members of that type are described in German utility models DE 89 09 562 U1 (Gebrauchsmuster) and DE 93 04 392 U1 (Gebrauchsmuster), where they form the terminal part of a contact element with an insulation-piercing terminal and crimping connection.
In the prior art terminal members, the terminal region is designed for an insulated electrical line with one or more pairs of crimp legs and it is generally designed for lines of one particular diameter. If a plurality of such identical terminal members are to be used as a component part of a contact, for example in a contact housing of an electrical plug-in connector, and lines of different diameters are to be connected, they must be attached to the terminal members with processing tools that are specifically made to match the respective line diameter. A practical example is a multi-pole contact housing fully occupied with contacts, in which lines with a line cross section of, say, 0.35 and 0.5 mm.sup.2 are processed. In a first process step, for example, the lines of the smaller cross section thereby have to be attached one after the other with a special tool to the contacts provided for them. In a second process step, the lines of the larger cross section have to be attached one after the other, again with a special tool, to the remaining contacts. This results in a process which is time-consuming and expensive in terms of manufacturing assembly tools.